Bottle-washing machine



Nov. 8, 1927. 1,648,743

w. c. SHEFFIELD BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Filed July 11, 1925 4Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Nov. 8, 1927.

w. c. SHEFFIELD BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Filed July 11. 1925 4Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov. 8, 1927. I 1,648,743

W. C. SHEFFIELD BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE I Filed July 11, 1925 4Sheets-Sheet 3 zzzwwwzw INVENTOR ATYORNEY Nov. 8, 1927. 1,648,743

w. c. SHEFFIELD BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Filed July 11, 1925 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. 8, 1927. I

UNITED STATES 1,648,743 PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER C. SHEFFIELD, OF BAINBRIDGE, GEORGIA.

BOTTLE-WASHING IACHINE.

Application filed July 11, 1925. Serial No. 42,914.

sanitary condition fit for use for any de.

sired purpose.

An important object is the provision of a machine of this characterembodying means whereby a plurality of bottles may be carried over meansfor supplying streams or jets of solution or water into them for thepurpose of effecting the desired action.

Anotherobject is the provision of a novel arrangement of endless carrierprovided with means for supporting the bottles in inverted position andprovided with other means acting automatically to supply a continuousflow of water or other liquid into the bottles for cleaning them, apeculiar and novel mechanism being provided for insuring a proper flowof the liquid at all times.

Yet another object is the provision of a device of this character in.which the bottle carrier is provided with spring retaining means forholdin the bottles in place above the nozzles provided for the purposeof permitting injection of water into the bottles, means being alsoprovided at a certain point in the travel of the carrier forautomatically releasing the spring retaining means and permitting thebottles to drop out onto a delivery chute.

Still another object is the provision of a machine of this characterembodying a carrier formed of flexibly connected sections of peculiarconstruction, each of which is equipped with bottle holding meansand anozzle device together with drain means so that the liquid forced intothe bottles may drain back into a collecting pan and be subsequentlyreturned to a supply tank or the like for repeated use.

The invention further contemplates the provision of various details ofconstruction and arrangement whereby the costof manufacture will bereduced to the minimum while at the same time the efficiency ofoperation and durability in service will be great- 1y increased.

With the above and other objects and" advantages in view, the inventionmay consist in the details of construction and the arrangement. andcombination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the com plete machine the delivery chutestructure being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section.

Figure 3 is a detail cross section through the water header or supplypipe and one of the bottle carriers in operative position thereon.

Figure 4 is aplan view. Figure 5 is a detail longitudinal section takenthrough the endless carrier.

F gure 6 is a top plan view thereof, and Figure 7 is a bottom plan viewthereof- Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10designates, generally, a suitable supporting frame which is preferablymounted upon legs 11 and which may be of any desired size, shape andconstruction depending upon the intended size of the completed machineand also depending upon the taste of the individual manufacturer.Mounted within the central portion of this frame is a suitable tank 12adapted to contam some cleansing solution, and mounted outwardly of thistank are pans 13,

Obviousl if such should be preferred, the

pans an the tank might be constructed all in one or they may be in freecommunication although in the present instance I have shown the firstpan 13 as equipped with a drain pi e 14 leading to a suitable strainer15, not s own in detail, from which leads a pipe 16 emptying into thetank 12. Any suitable means may be provided for admitting the cleansingsolution into the tank 12.

Movably mounted upon the frame or upon the upper edges of'the tanks andpans is a hood or shield 17 here shown as hinged at 18 though obviouslyit might be mounted in some other manner. Any desired means may beprovided for securing the hood in place though it is probable thatgravity alone would be suflicient for this purpose. Mounted at one endof the frame of the machine is a guide or guard 19 of curved shapeleading to a delivery chute 20 which is preferably braced by means of abar 21 or above the pans and tank 13 and 12 respectively, are spacedparallel pairs of header pipes 23, 24 and 25 which are intended to beturned in a lathe or otherwise treated so as to have a smooth exteriorpermit-ting sliding thereon of certain carrier mechanisms to bedescribed. The header pipes in each pair are closed at their ends andthroughout their lengths they are provided with rows of perforationsindicated at 26, 27 and 28. Connected with the pipes 23 are supply pipes29, connected with the pipes 24 are similar supply pipes 30 and connected with the pipes 25 are other supply pipe-s 31. All of these supplypipes are adapted to be connected with a suitable source of liquid, suchas water, under pressure, and if'preferred a pump mechanism might beprovided for {maintaining a high pressure, though this pump mechanism isnot illustrated as it really forms no part of the present invention. jIfthe tank 12 be used for supplying a cleansing solution to any or allof the'pipes, instead of plain water, it is quite obvious that asuitable force pump must be used to effect proper circulation of theliquid. It should be mentioned in passing that the tank 12 is preferably provided with a suitable drain 32 whereby the entire system maybe emptied when desired.

Mounted at the rear end of the frame are suitable bearing-s 33 for ashaft 34 carrying a sprocket 35, and similarly mounted at the forwardend of the frame are slotted brackets 36 within which are slidablebearing members 37 carrying a shaft 38 on which is a sprocket 39.Mounted on the outer side of the innermost legs. 11 are bearing brackets40'for shafts 41 equipped witlrsprockets 42. Mounted between theinnermost legs 11 are guide'rails 43 held in place by any desired means.Trained about these four sprockets is an endless carrier designatedbroadly by the numeral 44, this carrier also engaging upon the guard orguide rails 43 so as to prevent it from displacement at its lowerstretch. Any suitable tightening means indicated at 45 may be providedin connection with the slidable bearings 37 for adjusting the tension ofthecarrier and holding it sufficiently taut thatslackness will beprevented. r

The endless carrier consists of a plurality of similar links 46 each ofwhich is formed to receive and engage a sprocket tooth, the.

arrangement of the successive elements being such that they will all beengaged by the successive teeth on the sprockets. Power may be appliedto any one of the shafts for the and at their under sides they aregrooved or concaved as indicated at 55 so as to slide upon the pairsof'header pipes 23,24 and 25 during the travel of the carrier throughoutthe length ofthe machine. Rising centrally of each cup member 52 is atubular nozzle 56 having its outer end closed except for one or moreperforations 57 provided for the escape of liquid used in cleansing thebottle. Formed transversely through each member 47 is a channel orpassage 58 communicating at its central point with the nozzle 56 andhaving its ends leading into grooves 58 the concavities or grooves 55 soas to register :with the successive holes or perforations 26, 27 and 28in the header pipes 23, 24 and 25. 'It will be observed that theperforations in the different pipes of each pair are 1n staggeredrelation so that by the time one'end of the passage 58 I has passed overand out of communication with the perforation in one pipe the other endthereof will have reached the point where it will be in communicationwith the corresponding or next perforation in the ad jacent pipe, thusinsuring a constant flow of liquid to the nozzle members.

Bottles to be cleaned are placed in inverted position upon the nozzle 56at the forward or left end of the machine and while it is til) ill!)possible that they might be retained in position with sufficientfirmness, it is preferable to make use of some holding means which 7will urge the bottles resiliently into engagement with the centeringwebs 53 at the bottom of the cup members 52. In carrying out thisfeature I may provide a pair of. up standing postsor rods 59 and60suitably mounted on the end portions of each member 47 and normallybridged. by an elongated leaf spring 61 pivoted at 62 upon the post 59and having its other end formed with a depressi'on 63 adapted to receivea rounded pro jection 64 on the outer or free endof :the post 60 so thatthe spring member will be held in place against accidental movement. InFigure 3 I have illustrated in detail the position of a bottle mountedwith its neck or mouth portion within the cup 52 in engagement with thewebs 53 therein and with its bottom engaged by the resilient member 61.

Obviously, when the partsare so arranged the bottle will be urgedresiliently against the webs 53 and cannot rock or become otherwlsedisplaced. Th s is of great importance inasmuch as the pressure of theliquid issu= ing from the hole or holes 57 will then not be able todislodge the bottle.- It is preferable to provide a trip 65 at the rightor rear end of the machine, which trip is so positioned as to be engagedby the successive spring memhere 61 during the travel of: the/endlesscarrier so that the spring members will be swung out of engagementwiththe post 60 so that the bottles will be freed and permitted to slideoff from the nozzle members upon reaching the delivery chute 20.

In the operation ofthe device, let it be assumed that power is appliedto one of the shafts for the purpose of moving the endless carrier andlet it also be assumed that liquid under pressure is supplied throughthe pipes 29, '30 and 81 to the pairs of heac er pipes 23, 2d and Anoperator standing at the left or forward end of the machine places thesoiled bottles in inverted position upon the nozzles 56 as they aremoved upwardly and passed around with the links or members 47. Theoperator also swings the leaf spring members 61 to engage the recessedends 63 thereof with the ends 64 of the posts 60 in order that thebottles will be firmly held in place. As the bottles are carried alongby the carrier they will pass through the hood 17 and as they pass overthe successive pairs of header pipes 23, 24 and 25, it is quite clearthat the liquid issuing from the perforations therein will pass into thechannel members or passages 58 in the blocks or links 47 and out throughthe hole or holes 57 in the nozzles 56, the water orother liquidimpinging againstthe inside of the bottles and thoroughly cleansingthem. In case a solution is used instead of plain water, it is apparentthat the liquid draining out of the bottles through the holes 54 in themembers 47 will be caught in the pans 13 and will pass into and throughthe strainer 15 into the tank 12 for repeated use. In case plain wateris used it is obvious that there is no necessity for using it over andover as it may be discarded, the pipe 32 being provided for the purposeof permitting the draining away. By the time the bottles have passedentirely through the hood 17 and subjected to the action of the water,solutions or the like issuing from the holes or perforations in thethree sets of header pipes it is quite clear that the bottles will beclean and fit for subsequent use. Upon reaching the rear end of themachine the spring members 61 will on gage against the trip 65 and beswung intoreleased position out of obstructing relation to the bottlesso that as the links of the carrier pass around the sprocket 35 thebottles will slide down the nozzle 56 and be deposited onto the deliverychute 20.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will bereadily apparent that I have thus provided a simply constructed,comparatively inexpensive and very eflicient machine for the purposespecified. It is believed that the construction, operation andadvantages will be readily ap parentto one skilled in the art withoutfur ther elaboration.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention, it should be understood that I reserve the right to make suchchanges in the form, construction and arrangement of parts as will notdepart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoinedclaims.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a supporting frame, a tankmounted within the frame, pans mounted within the frame adj aeentthetank and having restricted communication therewith, guide memberslocated at different points on the frame, an endless carrier trainedabout said guide members and including a. plurality of pivotallyconnected links, each carrying a nozzle and bottle retaining means, aplurality of pairs of header pipes mounted in the frame above the pansand traveled over by the links of the carrier, the carrier links havingpassages communicating with the nozzle and leading to the undersides,and the header pipes being formed with holes with which said passageswill communicate. p

2-. In a bottle washing machine, a pair of rigidly supported headerpipes, each provided in its uppermost portion with a. pinrality ofperfori'itions, and an endless carrier movable over said header pipesand including a plurality of pivotally connected links, a block memberextending transversely with respect to each link and grooved at itsunderside for conforming and sliding engagement upon the header pipes,the block being provided centrally of its upper surface with anupstanding tubular nozzle and being formed with an elongatedtransversely extending passage communicating with the nozzle and leadingat its ends into the grooves slidable along the header pipes forestablishing communication between the perforations of the header pipesand the nozzle, an

upstanding cup-like member on the top of each body member arranged inconcentric relation to the nozzle and adapted to receive the mouth of abottle tobe cleaned, the cup member having openings in its sidespermitting outflow of water.

3. In a machine of the character described, an endless carrier formed ofa'plurality of pivotal'ly connected links, each consisting of a bodyformed at its top with a cup provided at its bottom with centeringmeans, a nozzle carried by the body at the center of the cup, the bodyhaving a passage therethrough communicating wlth the nozzle, means forsupplying liquld under pressure into the passage, said means comprisingheader pipes formed with holes and supplied with liquid under pressure,the links being grooved and slidable along the header pipes, the ends ofthe passages leading into the grooves for ment along the header pipes,each link carrying bottle holding means and a nozzle and being formedwith a passage communicating with the nozzle and leading into thegrooves for registration with the successive holes in the header pipes.

5. In a machine of the character described, an endless bottlecarrierformed of a plurality of pivotally connected links, each formed as abody carrying a cup element and guide means at the bottom thereof, anozzle rising from the body and at the center of the cup member, meansfor supplying liquid under pressure to the nozzle, and bottle retainingmeans mounted on each link and engaging the bottom of an inverted bottlefor holding the bottle over the nozzle with its mouth engaged upon theguide means.

6. In a machine of the character described, an endless bottle carrierformed of a plurality of pivotally connected links, each formed as abody formed with a passage and carrying a cup element on its top andguide means at its bottom, a nozzle rising from the body'incommunication with the passage and located at the center of the cupmember, means for supplying liquid under pressure to the nozzle, andbottle retaining means mounted on each link for holding the bottle ininverted position over the nozzle with its mouth engaged upon theguidemeans, said holding means comprising a pair of upstanding posts atopposite sides of the cup member and a leaf spring pivoted upon one postand detachably engageable. with the other.

7. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of pairs ofperforated header pipes, a frame structure supporting the pipes, anendlessbottle carrier formed of a plurality of pivot-ally connectedlinks formed as block members mounted to slide along the header pipes,means for supplying different liquids or solutions to the diflerentheader pipes, a nozzle carried by each block member, bottle holdingmeans carried by each block and including a'pivoted arm en-.

gageable over the bottom of an inverted bottle, the block members beingvformed with means for establishing communication between the nozzles andthe perforated header pipes during travel of the carrier, a deliverychute at the rear end of the machine, and

means at said rear end engageable by the bottle retaining meansforefiecting swinging thereof out of engagement with the bottle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WALTER c. SHEFFIELD,

